The currentRomanesque andGothic form of the cathedral, seen today in theStephansplatz, was largely initiated byDuke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history and has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. It has 256 stairs from the top to the bottom[1]
By the middle of the 12th century, Vienna had become an important centre of German civilization, and the four existing churches, including only one parish church, no longer met the town's religious needs. In 1137,Bishop of Passau Reginmar andMargrave Leopold IV signed the Treaty of Mautern, which referred to Vienna as acivitas for the first time and transferredSt. Peter's Church to theDiocese of Passau. Under the treaty, Margrave Leopold IV also received from the bishop extended stretches of land beyond the city walls, with the notable exception of the territory allocated for the new parish church, which would eventually become St. Stephen's Cathedral. Although previously believed built in an open field outside the city walls, the new parish church was in actuality likely built on an ancient cemetery dating toAncient Roman times; excavations for a heating system in 2000 revealed graves 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) below the surface, which werecarbon-dated to the 4th century.[citation needed] This discovery suggests that an even older religious building on this site predated theSt. Rupert's Church, which is considered the oldest church in Vienna.
Growth of the cathedral, showing theRoman towers and Giant's Door from the burned first church (1137), theRomanesque second church (1263), theGothic Albertine Choir (1340), and theDuke Rudolf IV additions (1359), which removed the second church, leaving Stephansdom as it appears today.
Founded in 1137 following the Treaty of Mautern, the partially constructed Romanesque church was solemnly dedicated in 1147 toSaint Stephen in the presence ofConrad III of Germany,Bishop Otto of Freising, and other German nobles who were about to embark on theSecond Crusade.[2] Although the first structure was completed in 1160,[3] major reconstruction and expansion lasted until 1511, and repair and restoration projects continue to the present day. From 1230 to 1245, the initial Romanesque structure was extended westward; the present-day west wall and Romanesque towers date from this period. In 1258, however, a great fire destroyed much of the original building, and a larger replacement structure, also Romanesque in style and reusing the two towers, was constructed over the ruins of the old church and consecrated 23 April 1263. The anniversary of this second consecration is commemorated each year by a rare ringing of thePummerin bell for three minutes in the evening.
In 1304,King Albert I ordered a Gothic three-navechoir to be constructed east of the church, wide enough to meet the tips of the oldtransepts. Under his sonDuke Albert II, work continued on the Albertine choir, which was consecrated in 1340 on the 77th anniversary of the previous consecration. The middle nave is largely dedicated to St. Stephen andAll Saints, while the north and south nave, are dedicated toSt. Mary and theApostles respectively.Duke Rudolf IV,the Founder, Albert II's son, expanded the choir again to increase the religious clout of Vienna. On 7 April 1359, Rudolf IV laid the cornerstone for a westward Gothic extension of the Albertine choir in the vicinity of the present south tower. This expansion would eventually encapsulate the entirety of the old church, and in 1430, the edifice of the old church was removed from within as work progressed on the new cathedral. The south tower was completed in 1433, and vaulting of the nave took place from 1446 to 1474. The foundation for a north tower was laid in 1450, and construction began under masterLorenz Spenning, but its construction was abandoned when major work on the cathedral ceased in 1511.
In 1365, just six years after beginning the Gothic extension of the Albertine choir, Rudolf IV disregarded St. Stephen's status as a mere parish church and presumptuously established achapter ofcanons befitting a large cathedral. This move was only the first step in fulfilling Vienna's long-held desire to obtain its owndiocese; in 1469,Emperor Frederick III prevailed uponPope Paul II to grant Vienna its own bishop, to be appointed by the emperor. Despite long-standing resistance by the Bishops of Passau, who did not wish to lose control of the area, the Diocese of Vienna was canonically established on 18 January 1469, with St. Stephen's Cathedral as its mother church. In 1722 during the reign ofEmperor Charles VI,Pope Innocent XIII elevated thesee to an archbishopric.[3]
During World War II, the cathedral was saved from intentional destruction at the hands of retreatingGerman forces whenWehrmacht Captain Gerhard Klinkicht disregarded orders from the city commandant,"Sepp" Dietrich, to "fire a hundred shells and reduce it to rubble".[4] On 12 April 1945, civilian looters lit fires in nearby shops asSoviet Army troops entered the city. The winds carried the fire to the cathedral, where it severely damaged the roof, causing it to collapse. Fortunately, protective brick shells built around the pulpit, Frederick III's tomb, and other treasures, minimized damage to the most valuable artworks. However, the Rollinger choir stalls, carved in 1487, could not be saved. Reconstruction began immediately after the war, with a limited reopening 12 December 1948 and a full reopening 23 April 1952.
The church was dedicated to St. Stephen, also the patron of the bishop'scathedral inPassau, and so was oriented toward the sunrise on hisfeast day of 26 December, as the position stood in the year that construction began. Built oflimestone, the cathedral is 107 metres (351 ft) long, 40 metres (130 ft) wide, and 136 metres (446 ft) tall at its highest point. Over the centuries, soot and other forms of air pollution accumulating on the church have given it a black colour, but recent restoration projects have again returned some portions of the building to their original white.[citation needed]
South tower and the shorter north tower, along with the roof tiles mosaic.
Standing at 136 meters (446 ft) tall and affectionately referred to by the city's inhabitants as "Steffl" (adiminutive form of "Stephen"), St. Stephen's Cathedral's massive south tower is its highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline. Its construction lasted 65 years, from 1368 to 1433. During theSiege of Vienna in 1529 and again during theBattle of Vienna in 1683, it served as the main observation and command post for the defence of the walled city, and it even contains an apartment for the watchmen who, until 1955, manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted in the city. At the tip of the tower stands the double-eagle imperial emblem with theHabsburg-Lorrainecoat of arms on its chest, surmounted by a double-armedapostolic cross, which refers toApostolic Majesty, the imperialstyle of kings ofHungary.[citation needed] This emblem replaced earlier crescent and the six-pointed star emblem. The original emblem, as well as a couple of later ones, today can be seen at the Vienna City Museum.[5]
The north tower was originally intended to mirror the south tower, but the design proved too ambitious, considering the era of Gothic cathedrals was nearing its end, and construction was halted in 1511. In 1578, the tower-stump was augmented with aRenaissance cap, nicknamed the "water tower top" by the Viennese. The tower now stands at 68 metres (223 ft) tall, roughly half the height of the south tower.[citation needed]
Romanesque Towers on the west front, with the Giant's Door
The main entrance to the church is named the Giant's Door, orRiesentor, possibly referring to thethighbone of amammoth that hung over it for decades after being unearthed in 1443 while digging the foundations for the north tower, or else to the funnel shape of the door, from theMiddle High German wordrisen, meaning 'sink or 'fall'.[6] Thetympanum above the Giant's Door depictsChrist Pantocrator flanked by two wingedangels, while on the left and right are the two Roman Towers, orHeidentürme, that each stand at approximately 65 metres (213 ft) tall. The name for the towers derives from the fact that they were constructed from the rubble of old structures built by the Romans (GermanHeiden meaning heathens orpagans) during their occupation of the area. Square at the base and octagonal above the roofline, theHeidentürme originally housed bells; those in the south tower were lost during World War II, but the north tower remains an operational bell tower. The Roman Towers, together with the Giant's Door, are the oldest parts of the church.[citation needed]
The glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly coloured roof, 111 metres (364 ft) long, and covered by 230,000 glazedtiles. Above thechoir on the south side of the building the tiles form amosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by theHabsburg dynasty. On the north side, thecoats of arms of theCity of Vienna and of theRepublic of Austria are depicted. In 1945, fire caused by World War II damage to nearby buildings leapt to the north tower of the cathedral and destroyed the wooden framework of the roof. Replicating the original bracing for so large a roof (it rises 38 metres above the floor) would have been cost-prohibitive, so over 600metric tons of steel bracing were used instead. The roof is so steep that it is sufficiently cleaned by the rain alone and is seldom covered by snow.[citation needed]
Mounted 20 metres (66 ft) above the street level in the north tower, themonumental bell of the cathedral is officially namedMarienglocke, afterSt. Mary, but it is locally referred to asPummerin (literally, "Boomer") for its immersive tonal quality. It weighs in at 20,130 kilograms (44,380 lb) and has a diameter of 3.14 metres (10.3 ft) at its mouth, making it the largest bell in Austria, as well as the third largest swinging bell in Europe.[a] It wascast in 1951 after World War II atSt. Florian,Upper Austria, and delivered to the cathedral as a gift from the provincial government.Pummerin usually sounds on special occasions, includingEaster,Pentecost, theFeast of Corpus Christi,Christmas Eve,Saint Stephen's Day, andNew Year's Day.
Pummerin is in fact a replacement of an original bell,Josephinische Glocke, named afterSt. Joseph, colloquially known as "OldPummerin". Created in 1705 under the auspices offounderJohann Achamer, the old bell hung in the south tower and was slightly more massive than the current bell. It was composed partially of material from nearly 300 cannons seized during anunsuccessful Ottoman uprising on the city in the late 1600s. A unique feature for the bell was a pair of thick oak slats forming a cradle on which it sat. When it was time to sound the bell, the cradle would be lowered viajackscrews, and eight men would pull the hefty clapper back and forth on ropes. This method of ringing was recommended by architectFriedrich von Schmidt, who was concerned that the tower's structure was too fragile to withstand the forces induced by swinging the bell itself. The bell was resting on the cradle as the fire of 1945 overtook the belfry. The burning cradle ultimately gave out, and the bell crashed on the floor below. The shattered pieces were salvaged and mixed in with the metal that was used to cast today'sPummerin that was put into service in 1957.
TheSpeisglocke andZügenglocke were previously affixed in the spire on the south tower with the clock bells. At one point, these three bells were slated to be melted down, and their precious bronze confiscated as raw material for war efforts in 1940. However, theZügenglocke andChorglöckl were each moved and resuspended in the northern Romanesque tower following an extensive restoration project. As of 2022[update], only theSpeisglocke remains in storage inside the main north tower.
Of the 13 bells in the south tower, eleven are used for traditionalpealing. Installed at an elevation of 25 metres (82 ft), the bells were cast in 1960 by thePfundner Bell Foundry as replacements for the older bells lost in the 1945 fire. The largest in this collection is theStephanusglocke ("Bell of St. Stephan", sharing the cathedral's namesake), and is secondary toPummerin. They arerung in exacting patterns to announce Mass gatherings, feasts and other significant holy events. For example, theStephanusglocke sounds whenever thearchbishop of Vienna is present at the cathedral. On 16 March 2022, the south tower bells erroneously sounded for 20 minutes overnight, beginning at 2:11a.m. According to priestToni Faber, it was determined that hackersremotely accessed the computer-automated system that activates the bells.
The other two bells are mounted 100 metres (330 ft) in the tower and serve as the cathedral's clock bells. ThePrimglocke (recast in 1771) chimes the quarter-hour, and theUhrschälle (c. 1449) strikes the hour on the hour.[citation needed]
In their prime, the five bells of the northern Romanesque tower were given names based on specific functions they were devoted for. Nowadays they are used for evening prayers.[7] Two more bells were added later on, raising the count to 7.
Cast in 1879 by Friedrich Gössner, theFeuerin (literally, "fire alarm") rings every Thursday evening to reinvoke thefinal tragic moments ofChrist; it also sounds together with the other bells for the Saturday and Sundayvespers. Likewise on Saturday, theChurpötsch rings after the eveningAngelus. It was donated by the localcuria in honour of theMaria Pötsch icon. Up until the 18th century, the tolling of theBieringerin ("beer ringer") signaled thelast call at taverns.Cantors are summoned to Mass at the sound ofKantnerin. TheFehringerin, together withKantnerin andBieringerin, calls upon theAsperges. These four bells were cast in 1772 by the now-defunctScheichel Bell Foundry.
In February 2017, the ~1280-madeChorglöckl was added to the northern Romanesque tower belfry after lying in disuse at the main north tower. The oldest in the cathedral, the bell traces back to the great Vienna fire of 1276. It was restored to working order at theGrassmayr Bell Foundry inInnsbruck in 2017. Its clapper, last repaired during theBaroque Period, was found hidden in a niche on the wall of the tower. This bell sounds every Friday, after the evening Angelus, to memorialize all those who died the week before. TheZügenglocke got the same restorative treatment and was transferred from the north tower in 2022. Its chiming encourages final prayers for persons nearing deathon their communion.[citation needed]
During the Middle Ages, major cities had their own set of measures and the public availability of these standards allowed visiting merchants to comply with local regulations. The official Vienneseell length standards for verifying the measure of different types of cloth sold are embedded in the cathedral wall, to the left of the main entrance. The linenell, also calledViennese yard, (89.6 centimetres (35.3 in)) and the draperyell (77.6 centimetres (30.6 in)) length standards consist of two iron bars. According to Franz Twaroch, the ratio between the linen ell and the drapery ell is exactly.[8][9] The Viennese ells are mentioned for the first time in 1685 by theCanonTestarello della Massa in his bookBeschreibung der ansehnlichen und berühmten St. Stephans-Domkirchen.[10]
Official Viennese linenell and draperyell length standards embedded in the cathedral wall
A memorial tablet (near locationSJC on the Plan below) gives a detailed account ofWolfgang Amadeus Mozart's relationship with the cathedral, including the fact that he had been appointed an adjunct music director here shortly before his death. This was his parish church when he lived at the "Figaro House" and he was married here, two of his children were baptised here, and his funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross (at locationPES) inside.[11]
Adjacent to the catacomb entrance is the Capistran Chancel, the pulpit (now outdoors at locationSJC) from whichSt. John Capistrano and Hungarian generalJohn Hunyadi preached a crusade in 1456 to repel Muslim invasions of Christian Europe. (See:Siege of Belgrade).[12] The 18th centuryBaroque statue shows theFranciscan friar under an extravagant sunburst, trampling on a beaten Turk. This was the original cathedral's main pulpit inside until it was replaced by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden's pulpit in 1515.[citation needed]
"Christ with a toothache"
A figure of Christ (at locationCT) is known affectionately to the Viennese as "Christ with a toothache". At the southwest corner (locationS) are various memorials from when the area outside the cathedral was a cemetery, as well as a recently restored 15th-centurysundial on aflying buttress.[citation needed]
Plan of St. Stephen's Cathedral.CT "Christ with a toothache";Fr3 Tomb of EmperorFrederick III;G Giant's DoorHA High Altar;MP Maria Pötsch icon;NT North Tower;P Pulpit;PESPrince Eugene of Savoy burial chapel;RT Roman Towers;S Sundial;SJC St. John of Capistrano pulpit;ST South Tower;WNA Wiener Neustädter Altar
The main part of the church contains 18altars, with more in the various chapels. The High Altar (HA) and the Wiener Neustadt Altar (German:Wiener Neustädter Altar) (WNA) are the most famous.
The first focal point of any visitor is the distant High Altar, built over seven years from 1641 to 1647 as part of the first refurbishment of the cathedral in thebaroque style. The altar was built byTobias Pock at the direction of Vienna's BishopPhilipp Friedrich Graf Breuner with marble fromPoland,Styria andTyrol. The High Altar represents the stoning of the church's patronSt. Stephen. It is framed by figures of patron saints from the surrounding areas – SaintsLeopold,Florian,Sebastian andRochus – and surmounted with a statue ofSt. Mary which draws the beholder's eye to a glimpse of heaven where Christ waits for Stephen (the firstmartyr) to ascend from below.
Wiener Neustädter Altar
The Wiener Neustädter Altar at the head of the north nave was ordered in 1447 by EmperorFrederick III, whose tomb is located in the opposite direction. On thepredella is his famousA.E.I.O.U. device. Frederick ordered it for theCistercianViktring Abbey (nearKlagenfurt) where it remained until the abbey was closed in 1786 as part of EmperorJoseph II'santi-clerical reforms. It was then sent to the Cistercian monastery ofSt. Bernard of Clairvaux (founded by Emperor Frederick III) in the city ofWiener Neustadt, and finally sold in 1885 to St. Stephen's Cathedral when the Wiener Neustadt monastery was closed after merging withHeiligenkreuz Abbey.
The Wiener Neustädter Altar is composed of twotriptychs, the upper being four times taller than the lower one. When the lower panels are opened, the Gothic grate of the formerreliquary depot above the altar is revealed. On weekdays, the four panels are closed and display a drab painted scene involving 72 saints. On Sundays, the panels are opened showinggilded wooden figures depicting events in the life of theVirgin Mary. Restoration began on its 100th anniversary, in 1985 and took 20 years, 10 art restorers, 40,000 man-hours, and €1.3 million to complete, primarily because its large surface area of 100 square metres (1,100 sq ft).
The Maria Pötsch Icon (MP) is aByzantine styleicon ofSt. Mary with the child Jesus. The icon takes its name from theHungarian Byzantine Catholic shrine ofMáriapócs (pronouncedPoach), whence it was transferred to Vienna. The picture shows theVirgin Mary pointing to the child (signifying "He is the way") and the child holding a three-stemmed rose (symbolizing theHoly Trinity) and wearing a prescient cross from his neck. The 50 x 70 cm icon was commissioned in 1676 from painterIstván Papp byLászló Csigri upon his release as aprisoner of war from theTurks who were invadingHungary at the time. As Csigri was unable to pay the 6-forint fee the icon was bought byLőrinc Hurta who donated it to the church of Pócs.
After claims of twomiraculous incidents in 1696 with the mother in the picture allegedly shedding real tears, EmperorLeopold I ordered it brought to St. Stephen's Cathedral, where it would be safe from the Muslim armies that still controlled much of Hungary. Upon its arrival after a triumphal five-month journey in 1697, EmpressEleonora Magdalena commissioned the splendidRosa Mysticaoklad and framework (now one of several) for it, and the Emperor personally ordered the icon placed near the High Altar in the front of the church, where it stood prominently from 1697 until 1945. Since then, it has been in a different framework, above an altar under a medieval stonebaldachin near the southwest corner of thenave – where the many burning candles indicate the extent of itsveneration, especially by Hungarians. Since its arrival the picture has not been seen weeping again but other miracles and answered prayers have been attributed to it, includingPrince Eugene of Savoy's victory over the Turks atZenta few weeks after the icon's installation in the Stephansdom.
The residents of Pócs wanted their holy miracle-working painting returned, but the emperor sent them a copy instead. Since then, the copy has been reported to weep real tears and work miracles, so the village changed its name from merelyPócs toMáriapócs and has become an important pilgrimage site.
The stonepulpit is a masterwork of lateGothic sculpture. Long attributed toAnton Pilgram, todayNiclaes Gerhaert van Leyden is thought more likely to be the carver. So that the local languagesermon could be better heard by the worshipers in the days before microphones and loudspeakers, the pulpit stands against apillar out in thenave, instead of in thechancel at the front of the church.
The sides of the pulpit erupt like stylized petals from the stem supporting it. On those Gothic petals arerelief portraits of the four originalDoctors of the Church (St.Augustine of Hippo, St.Ambrose, St.Gregory the Great and St.Jerome), each of them in one of four different temperaments and in one of four different stages of life. The handrail of the stairway curving its way around the pillar from ground level to the pulpit has fantastic decorations oftoads and lizards biting each other, symbolizing the fight of good against evil. At the top of the stairs, a stonepuppy protects the preacher from intruders.
Beneath the stairs is one of the most beloved symbols of the cathedral: a stone self-portrait of the unknown sculptor gawking (German:gucken) out of a window (German:fenster) and thus famously known as theFenstergucker. Thechisel in the subject's hand, and thestonemason's signaturemark on the shield above the window led to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.
There are several formal chapels in St. Stephen's Cathedral:
St. Catherine's Chapel, in the base of the south tower, is the baptismal chapel. The 14-sided baptismal font was completed in 1481, and its cover was formerly the soundboard above the famed pulpit in the main church. Its marble base shows the four Evangelists, while the niches of the basin feature the twelve apostles, Christ and St. Stephan.
St. Barbara's Chapel, in the base of the north tower, is used for meditation and prayer.
St. Eligius's Chapel, in the southeast corner, is open for prayer. The altar is dedicated toSt. Valentine whose body (one of three, held by various churches) is in another chapel, upstairs.
St. Bartholomew's Chapel, above St. Eligius' Chapel, has recently been restored.
The Chapel of the Cross (PES), in the northeast corner, holds the burial place ofPrince Eugene of Savoy in the vault containing 3 coffins and a heart urn, under a massive stone slab with iron rings. The funeral ofMozart occurred here on 6 December 1791. The beard on the crucified Christ above the altar is of real hair. The chapel is not open to the public.
St. Valentine's Chapel, above the Chapel of the Cross, is the current depository of the hundreds ofrelics belonging to theStephansdom, including a piece of the tablecloth from theLast Supper. A large chest holds the bones of St. Valentine that were moved here about a century ago, from what is now the Chapter House to the south of the High Altar.
Since its earliest days, the cathedral has been surrounded bycemeteries dating back to Roman times, and has sheltered the bodies of nobles and commoners. It has always been an honour to be buried inside a church, close to the physical presence of thesaints whoserelics are preserved there. Those less honoured were buried near, but outside, the church.
Inside the cathedral are the tombs ofPrince Eugene of Savoy (PES), commander of the Imperial forces during theWar of the Spanish Succession in theChapel of The Cross (northwest corner of the cathedral) and ofFrederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (Fr3), under whose reign the Diocese of Vienna was canonically erected on 18 January 1469, in the Apostles' Choir (southeast corner of the cathedral).
Tomb of Emperor Frederick III
The construction of Emperor Frederick's tomb spanned over 45 years, starting 25 years before his death. The impressivesarcophagus is made of the unusually dense redmarble-like stone found at theAdnet quarry. Carved byNiclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, the tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in hiscoronationregalia surrounded by thecoats of arms of all of his dominions. The body of the tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of medieval sculptural art.
When thecharnel house and eight cemeteries abutting the cathedral's side and back walls closed due to an outbreak ofbubonic plague in 1735, the bones within them were moved to thecatacombs below the church. Burials directly in the catacombs occurred until 1783 when a new law forbade most burials within the city. The remains of over 11,000 persons are in the catacombs (which may be toured).
The basement of the cathedral also hosts the Bishops, Provosts and Ducal crypts. The most recent interment in the Bishop's crypt completed in 1952 under the southchoir was that of 98-year-old CardinalFranz König in 2004.Provosts of the cathedral are buried in another chamber. Other members of the cathedral chapter are now buried in a special section at theZentralfriedhof.
Ducal Crypt
TheDucal Crypt located under thechancel holds 78 bronze containers with the bodies, hearts, orviscera of 72 members of theHabsburg dynasty. Before his death in 1365, DukeRudolf IV ordered the crypt built for his remains in the new cathedral he commissioned. By 1754, the small rectangular chamber was overcrowded with 12 sarcophagi and 39 urns, so the area was expanded with an oval chamber added to the east end of the rectangular one. In 1956, the two chambers were renovated and their contents rearranged. Thesarcophagi of Duke Rudolf IV and his wife were placed upon a pedestal and the 62 urns containing organs were moved from the two rows of shelves around the new chamber to cabinets in the original one.
St Stephen's Cathedral has an oldorgan tradition. The firstorgan is mentioned in 1334.[13][14] After the 1945 fire, Michael Kauffmann finished a large electric action pipe organ in 1960 with 125 stops and 4 manuals, financed with public donations.[15] In 1991, the Austrian firm ofRieger rebuilt the choir organ. It is a mechanical organ, with 56 voices and 4 manuals.[16]
The Kauffmann organ at the west end was only used for about 35 years before falling into disuse. In 2017-2020 the Austrian firm ofRieger rebuilt the west end (Riesenorgel) organ using the 1960 facade and some old pipework and this resulted in an organ of 5 manuals with 130 stops.[17] The choir organ has its own console but there is a separate console, built 2017-2020 and comprising 5 manuals with 185 stops, from which the Riesenorgel and choir organ can be played at the same time.[18] In addition to the Riesenorgel and choir organ the Cathedral also has 3 smaller instruments.[19]
St. Stephen's Cathedral under renovation, 2007Interior after renovation. 2017
Preservation and repair of the fabric of the medieval cathedral has been a continuous process at St. Stephen's Cathedral since its original construction in 1147.
The porouslimestone is subject to weathering, but coating it with a sealer like silicone would simply trap moisture inside the stone and cause it to crack faster when the water freezes.The permanentDombauhütte (Construction Department) uses the latest scientific techniques (includinglaser cleaning of delicate features on stonework), and is investigating a process that would impregnate the cavities within the stone with something that would keep water from having a place to infiltrate.
The most visible current repair project is a multi-year renovation of the tall south tower, for which scaffolding has been installed. Fees from advertising on the netting around the scaffolding were defraying some of the costs of the work, but the concept of such advertising was controversial and has been discontinued. As of December 2008, the majority of the restoration on the south tower has been finished, and most scaffolding removed.
Christ in Gethsemane after restoration
Systematic cleaning of the interior is gradually proceeding around the walls, and an outdoorrelief of Christ inGethsemane is being restored.
A major project has been recently completed for which visitors and worshippers in St. Stephen's Cathedral had been waiting since 1147: better heating of the church during the winter. Previous systems, including fireplaces, just deposited soot and grease on the artwork, but the new system uses apparatus in many different locations so that there is little moving airflow to carry damaging particles. The church is now heated to around 10 °C (50 °F).
Some of the architectural drawings date from the Middle Ages and are on paper 15 ft long and too fragile to handle. Laser measurements of the ancient cathedral have now been made so that a digital 3-dimensional virtual model of the cathedral now exists in its computers, and detailed modern plans can be output at will. When weathered stonework needs to be repaired or replaced, the computerized system can create life-sized models to guide the nine full-time stonemasons on staff in the on-site workshops against the north wall of the cathedral.
On 29 March 2014, a 37-year-old manvandalized the interior of the cathedral by pushing the statue ofSt. Jude Thaddeus from its marble base.[20]
In November 2019, art historians discovered a mural under layers of dirt on the wall of what is now the cathedral's gift shop. It is believed to be the work of the Renaissance artistAlbrecht Dürer.[21][22]
As Vienna's landmark, the St. Stephen's Cathedral is featured in media including films, video games, and television shows. These includeThe Third Man andBurnout 3. The cathedral is also depicted on the Austrian10 cent euro coins and on the packaging of theManner-Schnitten wafer treat. The Archdiocese of Vienna allowed the Manner company to use the cathedral as its logo in return for funding the wages of one stonemason doing repair work on the cathedral.[33] In 2008,Sarah Brightman performed a concert promoting her latest album,Symphony, which was recorded for a TV broadcast and a further DVD release in late September.
Since 2008, the two sabres of theBalint Balassi Memorial Sword Award, founded byPal Molnar, have been blessed during a Balassi Mass held a few days before the award ceremony. On 25 January 2013, in the presence of some three hundred Hungarians, Bishop Laszlo Kiss-Rigo blessed the two swords during a Mass celebrated in the cathedral.[34]
^ab"Stephansdom".Österreich-Lexikon. Archived fromthe original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved26 November 2007.(...) History of Construction: First (?) construction 1137, consecrated 1147, completed as parish church (in possession of the bishopric of Passau) in 1160 (lower floors of the eastern "Heidentürme" and lower parts of the wall divisions are still extant). The various princes subsequently tried to found an independent diocese at St. Stephen's. Vienna was finally granted the status of a diocese in 1469 and St. Stephen's became a cathedral; metropolitan church of the archdiocese since 1723. (...)
^It is often mistakenly stated that Mozart died poor and so was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. The truth is that under burial laws decreed in 1784, all – rich or poor – were required to be buried unembalmed and without coffins in communal graves. These laws were still in effect when Mozart died in 1791.
^The Muslims invaded in 1529 and again in 1683, but were turned back from Europe both times by the resistance of Vienna to thesieges it endured.
^"Die Orgel im Stephansdom" (in German). "Rettet den Stephansdom" – Verein zur Erhaltung des Stephansdoms. Archived fromthe original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved1 January 2013.
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